


Healing

by ihathbenobiwankenobied



Category: Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types
Genre: Episode: s04e13 Escape From Kadavo, Gen, Hurt Obi-Wan Kenobi, Hurt/Comfort, Post-Episode: s04e13 Escape From Kadavo, Selectively mute, Sign Language, Zygerria Arc (Star Wars: Clone Wars), mute obi-wan
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-31
Updated: 2021-01-09
Packaged: 2021-03-10 19:20:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 2,985
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28442313
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ihathbenobiwankenobied/pseuds/ihathbenobiwankenobied
Summary: “He’s been through a lot, Cody. Beatings, torture.... Just, a lot.” Skywalker paused to lick his lips nervously and he glanced back at Kenobi who was rubbing his hands tiredly over his eyes. “Sometimes,” Skywalker continued, “He goes quiet.”
Relationships: CC-2224 | Cody & Obi-Wan Kenobi, Obi-Wan Kenobi & Anakin Skywalker
Comments: 12
Kudos: 244





	1. Chapter 1

It should have been him. Cody was convinced that if he had been there then maybe he could change the tide of the events of Zygerria. Cody watched from the distance in the hangar as the ship landed and the Togruta people began to haggardly traipse down the ramp. A call over his commlink for medical backup at the hangar had sent him on a hasty walk from his quarters to where he stood now, armor hurriedly thrown on and breaths coming in a little faster than he would like to admit. 

Cody watched, eyes flickering over Anakin and Ahsoka before landing on a very dirty and bruised looking Rex. Cody inhaled sharply as an even more bruised and dirty General Kenobi emerged from just behind the Commander. He limped, left foot dragging behind him just slightly, and his eyes were unfocused. From where he stood, Cody could make out the prominent bruising around the man’s neck and the tears in his robes. Cody wanted to converge on him, wrap him in a blanket, and run him a warm, soapy, bath. He wanted to take whoever had done this to the General and bring them to _justice_. However, the circumstance called for a little more tact.

Cody watched silently as Anakin as a loud discussion formed around the cowering presence of the General. The man stood almost completely still and his eyes trained absentmindedly on something on the floor. No one seemed to pay any mind to the General and it made Cody _angry_. He knew that Kenobi had probably reassured Ahsoka and Anakin that he was “perfectly fine” and “more than alright” but the opposite was more than apparent. 

The minutes dragged on; no one offered the General medical attention and no one expressly spoke to him. As Ahsoka walked off with what appeared to be the Togruta leader, Cody observed Kenobi looking about the room, almost searching for help of some sort. _The time is now_ Cody thought and began to quickly push past a few loitering brothers. He watched as suddenly Anakin gently took the Jedi’s chin into his hand trying to catch the man’s eyes. Anakin dropped his hand and suddenly he was… _signing something_? Cody stopped in his tracks, watching very carefully as Anakin’s fingers made quick work of a long string of signs. They were unfamiliar to Cody, though he had some familiarity with signs used in battle. There was a pause, once Anakin finished, before the General, to Cody’s surprise, began to move his own hands with fluent signs. There was no hesitation from either of the Generals as they exchanged a couple more signs each before Anakin pointed in Cody’s direction. Still slightly astonished by what he had just witnessed, Cody took for the General. 

“General, Sir! Are you alright?” Cody grabbed his shoulder lightly as the General looked up at him with a weak smile. Cody took that as his answer. “Med-bay then?” A nod. Just as Cody began to call for a hoverchair over his commlink, Kix appeared, hoverchair in tow. The General smiled appreciatively and Cody helped him sit slowly. He winced at the small whimper that escaped Kenobi’s chapped lips. 

“Can I talk to you for a minute Cody?” General Skywalker looked rather grim and he pulled Cody several feet away before even hearing the commander’s answer. 

“What?” Cody asked a little defensively, worried that he had somehow done something to upset him.

“He’s been through a lot, Cody. Beatings, torture.... Just, a lot.” Skywalker paused to lick his lips nervously and he glanced back at Kenobi who was rubbing his hands tiredly over his eyes. “Sometimes,” Skywalker continued, “He goes quiet.”

“What do you mean?” Cody asked, not quite understanding. General Kenobi was not exactly a loud man to begin with. 

“When he was younger he was selectively mute, silent, after he… after some trauma. Sometimes, when he gets overwhelmed or hurt he goes silent again.” _He goes silent._

“He’s silent right now?” Cody asked as he eyed the General himself, almost a little skeptical.

“Yes. He knows signs, I can communicate well with him. You may need to learn them, _fast._ ” Anakin shook his head somberly. “I don’t think he’s planning on speaking anytime soon.”

Cody let it sink in for a moment; it really did make sense. There had been countless missions where Cody had wondered about the General’s silence. He would often send a message to Cody’s datapad after they had returned from particularly brutal missions. Cody had simply chalked it up to him being angry or frustrated; he’s never assumed muteness. 

“It makes sense.” Cody answered General Skywalker. “I’ll learn.” The General nodded tersely before taking to the direction Ahsoka had gone earlier. “Med-Bay, Kix. Now.”

His brother replied with a firm nod before taking the handles of the hoverchair. They walked in silence, only the General’s shaking breaths rattling through the air.


	2. Chapter 2

Each step Cody took echoed heavily in the largely silent halls of the cruiser; it only made his unease more evident. He was the General’s second in command and his sworn  _ protector _ . Now the man was in a hoverchair, purpling bruises painted across his usually pale skin. While Kix pushed the sunken man through the echoing halls, Cody studied the form of the General; he traced every leftover scar, every stain on his destroyed robes, every little scratch on his soiled hands. He was, to put it simply, a vulnerable wreck. The man in question didn’t look up before the short walk landed them in the corridor of the med-bay. 

“General Kenobi,” The droid at the door greeted the three of them unenthusiastically, “Come along.” Cody watched as the General lifted his head up just enough to look around. His eyes were shiny and lined with what looked like fear, but only for just a moment. 

They followed the weaving path of the droid through several more white hallways until they reached a more secluded room with a less than soft looking medical cot. “Per your reported injuries, medical requests that you remove your garments on your top half. Dr. Mijau will be in shortly.” The droid didn’t provide any further instructions before turning away abruptly and leaving Cody and Kix with an unsettled General whose eyes darted back and forth about the room.

“Let’s get you up then. Can you stand Sir?” Cody asked, crouching down so he could look the man in the eye. There was a deep swallow before the General nervously brought his hands up to sign something; he looked like he was hoping Cody would just understand him, his eyes almost pleading with the Commander. 

“I’m- Sorry Sir, I can’t understand. Kix, can you find some paper- no, a datapad?” Cody shook his head in apology to the General but the man was already hanging his head once more. As Kix strode out of the room, Cody figured he’d try to get the man onto the bed in the meantime. 

“Hey… Obi-Wan?” He hardly used that name, saving the privilege of using it for when he needed the man’s full attention. Cody let an outstretched hand hover just over the man’s knee, not wanting to touch him when he wasn’t looking. Obi-Wan made tentative eye-contact with the Commander before blinking back a couple tears and averting his eyes. “I-I don’t know what happened back there- on Kadavo I mean. You don’t need to tell me, but I am here if you need me.” Cody’s lips were slightly upturned but his eyes told the truth.

A gentle nod from the General was enough for Cody to know that the man had heard him. “Can I help you get these robes off?” Another nod. 

Cody brought the chair close to the medical bed and helped Obi-Wan stand and abruptly sit down. The man hissed softly under his breath as his weakened form came to rest on the white sheets. Cody began to work at the clasps and ties of Obi-Wan’s robes, most every time that the General moved to get away from the fabric he let out small, distressed, whimpers. Cody pulled away the last part of the fabric from the dried blood on the man’s stomach as fast as he could which left him shivering slightly on the bed. Cody searched the cupboards in the small room and swore under his breath when he couldn’t find anything. 

At that moment Kix walked in holding a datapad in one hand and a bottle of water in the other. “Got this for you, Sir.” Kix offered the man the datapad. Obi-Wan nodded in thanks before beginning to type something out immediately. Cody sent Kix from the room, dismissing him from the presence of the vulnerable General. Cody watched the man’s shaking hands dance over the keypad for several minutes before Obi-Wan turned to place in his hand.  _ Anakin’s told you? _

“Yes. I’ll learn signs, Sir.” Obi-Wan reached for the datapad again.

_ You don’t have to, Cody. I’m sure it will pass. Just a little shaken up I’m afraid.  _ Cody wanted to scream or possibly shake some sense into the General but chose to instead place a hand on the man’s shoulder. 

“I will learn, Obi-Wan. This isn’t your fault.” Cody squeezed his shoulder ever so gently. 

_ Thank you Cody, I appreciate it.  _ Obi-Wan showed Cody briefly before suddenly catching the Commander’s eyes and slowly signing each word. Cody let out a huff of a laugh. 

“How do I sign ‘you’re welcome?’” Obi-Wan smiled back. 


	3. Chapter 3

Three days after Obi-Wan returned from Kadavo he was given permission to leave the medbay. His remaining injuries were mostly covered in bacta patches and his deeper cuts had been stitched together. There was nothing that could be done about the bruises around his neck or the slight limp that would follow him around like a shadow for at least another month. He looked hollow, like a shell of a man. It could have been the paleness of his skin or the silence that filled the room when Cody arrived, but the General seemed unusually fragile. 

Cody spent those three days researching sign language on his datapad. He tested his menial knowledge on the weary General hesitantly the first day, receiving a warm smile in return as the man adjusted Cody’s fingers with nearly every sign. Cody knew that he mostly needed to simply understand what the signs meant, the General had told him that more than once, but he wanted to learn. He wanted to _understand_. He knew Obi-Wan was lonely with his limited communication. When Anakin visited one the second day, Cody had watched in awe as they exchanged signs fluently, hands never hesitating. At one point a string of signs pulled a small laugh from Obi-Wan’s sunken cheeks making Cody’s heart flutter. It was the first time he had looked happy since his return. Once Anakin had left, they were once again forced into a bout of silence. Typing on the datapad became too tedious for Obi-Wan and they settled on watching some boring holovid.

That night Cody spent four hours learning the fundamental signs. He spent another hour learning some extra signs. He hated himself for it, but he knew it was necessary. He researched words like _hurt, pain, tired, sleep, medication, sick._ Just in case. 

On day three Cody was just stepping out of the shower when his commlink crackled alive. “General Kenobi is being released from Medbay. Commander Cody has been requested to escort him to his quarters.” Cody dressed himself in just his blacks and made for the medbay before his hair even had a chance to fully dry. 

At the Medbay he was met with a very sweaty looking General who was dressed in thin Medbay issued clothes. He carried his dirty robes and boots in the crook of his arm and tossed Cody a thin smile. “Ready?” Cody asked slightly awkwardly. Obi-Wan signed a quick yes and limped towards the corridor. Cody didn’t miss the way he grimaced just slightly each time his right foot made contact with the floor.

Their walk to the General’s tiny quarters took longer than expected; Obi-Wan stopped several times to rest his leg and press the heel of his hand into his forehead. Cody asked him if he was okay but the man waved him off. By the time they arrived at the metal door, Obi-Wan’s face was filling with blood and Cody swore softly under his breath as he helped him to the tiny bunk. Obi-Wan wasted no time settling himself on his back with a deep sigh. _Water_ he signed, eyes indicating his hope that Cody would understand. 

“Water?” Cody asked. A quick nod from the General. Cody brought him the only bottle left in the fridge and helped the man sit up. The General drank greedily, drinking the whole bottle, before sitting back and grappling with his own datapad that sat on the small bedside table. Cody took a deep breath from where he sat at the end of his bed as he prepared himself to use his sign. _You hurt? Pain?_

Obi-Wan blinked twice and shook his head. He began to type something out. _You learned these? I told you that it was not required._

“I told you I was going to learn. I’m your second in command, and more importantly, your friend. I don’t want you to feel alone.” Cody moved closer to the man and placed a hand on the General’s wrist. Obi-Wan swallowed once and turned his wrist over so he could lace his hand into Cody’s. His eyes were shiny with tears unshed and Cody knew the man was expressing his gratitude. “Now answer the question.” Obi-Wan signed _minimal pain_. 

“Thank _fuck._ ” Cody swore. “You’ve had me too damn worried. _Kriff._ ” Obi-Wan started typing again.

_Cody you mustn't worry about me. I’m a bit shaken up, but I am not an invalid. Life goes on._

Cody felt his anger boiling as he read the text. He wasn’t upset with Obi-Wan. Hell, he was in awe of the man’s willingness to sacrifice his own safety for that of others. But the man was completely unable to accept help, worry, or even _sympathy._ He was always tangled in thoughts of the next battle, the end of his recovery from some injury, or the best way to save all of his troopers. Cody wanted to scream at him or knock some sense into his mind. He was too concerned about others to even entertain the idea of letting someone care about him. “Like Hell life goes on! General Ken-- Obi-wan. Listen to me, please. I am going to _kriffing_ worry about you. I sat here worrying about you every second you were gone! I didn’t sleep because I knew you were in that _fucking_ slavers’ possesion. Let me take care of you.” His words were soft-spoken, but pointed. Obi-Wan turned his face away, eyes downcast. He seemed to contemplate something before he took to the datapad again. 

_They put an electric collar on me. I tried to help them, the Togruta, but the slavers wouldn’t let me. Every move I made to help them was met with violence from the slavers towards them. I was beaten and they were wearing on me. I don’t want you to worry, but you can stay with me. Please._

Cody winced as he read the words; it wasn’t detailed, but it sat heavily in Cody’s chest. Obi-Wan was always willing to sacrifice his comfort and safety for others; to be denied that was like denying him food or water. “I’m sorry, Obi-Wan.” Cody squeezed the man’s calloused hand gently, trying to communicate what he didn’t have the words to say. 

_I want to forget._ Obi-Wan’s fingertips hovered over the datapad and he looked like he wanted to say more. He almost began typing before setting the datapad off to the side and rubbing a hand on his chin and beard. Cody could sense the thoughts brewing inside his brain.

“I know you do. I know you want to forget, but you know that won’t happen. You don’t forget things General.” Cody gently swirled his thumb over the back of the man’s hand. “You can move on, though. It will take time, but I’m here for you.” 

They sat like that for a while, Cody didn’t know how long, but he saw Obi-Wan begin to relax himself into his bunk. The man closed his eyes and took deep, full, breaths. He was far from healed, but at least he had not asked Cody to leave. Cody often found that Obi-Wan isolated himself away from those who cared when he was damaged. Anakin would often tell Cody when Obi-Wan was Force-shielding him completely; it was the true indication that something was wrong. He would avoid Cody and Anakin, even Rex and Ahsoka, for days on end until he somehow managed to shove his feelings deep into the back of his brain where others couldn’t reach them. Cody was sick of it.

Cody watched as the man eventually reached for the datapad. _Thank you for staying._

“Thank you for not kicking me out.” Cody grinned tentatively and Obi-Wan released a faint snort. “Hey, do you think-- can I… can I touch you?” Obi-Wan signed _yes._

Cody reached for the man and caught him in an embrace. Obi-Wan’s momentary stillness indicated his surprise at the action, but it took seconds for him to melt into the warm embrace, head dropping limp on Cody’s shoulder. The man let out a small sniffle and Cody could feel a warm dampness seeping into the fabric of his blacks. The shake of Obi-Wan’s shoulders was accompanied by his short hiccupping breaths and Cody’s heart thrumming rapidly in his chest.

Cody leaned back after several minutes and signed a statement he had learned the night before. _You are safe._

_Only with you._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed this one and thank you for reading! I'm already working on the next chapter that will explore Cody's progress a month or two later. I just started my first Tumblr so check me out if you would like. My user is youvebenkenobied.


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